The Paris American Committee to Stop War had its origins in a series of meetings held in
Paris early in 1966. An informal meeting held February 16, 1966 by Francis Leary, sculptor
Alexander Calder, Daniel Dixon, Maria Jolas, and others, led to the formation of the first
group. Two days later, this small group merged with another organization of Americans living
in Paris, and decided to request permission of the Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy
(SANE) to form a Paris chapter of SANE. However, the charter of the new SANE group was
rejected, probably at a membership meeting of May 25, 1966, and within a few weeks the
organization had taken the name Paris American Committee to Stop War (PACS).
PACS was a non-denominational, politically unaffiliated organization dedicated to promoting
peace, and in particular, to bringing pressure on the United States government to end the
war in Vietnam. Through its twice-monthly meetings with talks by national and international
specialists regarding the imperialist policies of the United States government, PACS members
tried to keep informed and to inform others throughout the world. In addition, PACS
sponsored film showings, leafletting, and “special events” to coincide with
demonstrations and actions of United States peace groups. PACS also cooperated with other French
anti-war organizations, and maintained ties with similar groups in Europe, as well as with
the Vietnamese National Liberation Front. The Committee worked especially with the Mouvement
Contre l'Armement Atomique, the Mouvement de la Paix, the Comité Vietnam National, and
the French Union of American Deserters and Resisters. Among the conferences which PACS
delegates or observers attended were the Oslo Teach-in (1966); the International
Confederation for Disarmament and Peace (to which PACS belonged) biennial conference in
Hoechst, Germany (1966); the Solidarité avec le Vietnam Conference, Brussels, 1966; the
International War Crimes Tribunal, Stockholm, May 1967; the Stockholm World Conferences on
Vietnam, 1966-1968; and the ICDP Conference in Ljubljana, August 1968.
As its anti-war and pro-NLF activities increased, PACS came under fire from the French
government, particularly after peace negotiations began in Paris, while at the same time
internal disputes between members weakened the organization. In October 1968 the French
government ordered PACS to disband; the final meeting of the group was held October 29, and
the PACS office was closed.
The files of PACS were maintained by Maria Jolas, one of the founders of PACS in 1966. Born
Maria McDonald in Louisville, Kentucky, Mme. Jolas lived in Paris for more than 60 years.
She was the widow of Eugene Jolas, editor of the 1930s literary review Transition. After the dissolution of PACS, Mme. Jolas continued
anti-war work, at the same time continuing to collect the documentation of the French and
European peace movements. Many of these materials are now in the PACS collection.
